Salt Spring Island visit and a Rose Garden Tour

It's been a whirlwind week and one of the highlights was a trip across to Salt Spring Island to visit a friend. I did not go empty handed and I took her a wee gift and a bouquet of our Humble Bungalow garden roses.

My friend lives on a lush acreage where she has created a beautiful Mediterranean style garden.  She and her husband travel to Provence every year and spend a couple of idyllic months exploring the villages. I think she has been inspired by the lovely gardens in France.

The garden plants are selected with an artists eye...

and then one needs to be mindful of 

the deer who have voracious appetites!

Ali took me on a garden tour with the local rose group.

First we stopped off at Ali's friend Anna's home.

Anna and her husband Paul are artists and they have a gallery on their property that showcases their artwork. In case you are interested I have included a link to their site below.

Blue Horse Gallery is located in the Southey Point area of Salt Spring.

Weddings are frequently held on this picturesque property and they also run a B&B called Bloom.

I was so smitten with this adorable suite...

I could imagine waking up and taking my coffee out to the terrace and listening to the bees buzzing and the birdsong.

We visited quite a few gardens and there are many keen rosarians on the island.

I felt very privileged to be included on the tour and have Ali to thank for arranging it for me to join in.

A clump of poppies caught my eye...

I must get some of these for our garden.

Ali and I had lunch in Ganges and perused some of the lovely shops.

I was tempted by many of the lovely linen garments in the shops 

but I do not "need" any more...

 I cannot say that for roses 

as I am already thinking where I can find room to squeeze in a few more in our garden!

One of my favourite gardens on the tour was a 6 acre property near Vesuvius. 

Pauline and her husband have a vast garden with over 200 roses!

A fragrant oasis of roses

which Pauline has mixed with many lovely plants.

The most stunning array of vibrant blue, mauve and purple delphiniums 

stood tall with her glorious roses.

Pauline is an avid and knowledgeable gardener and very gracious.

It was difficult prying myself away from her garden but I had to catch the ferry. 

Ali and I plan to meet again on the island 

as there are so many wonderful things to see and do...

I am heading out to the garden so I will close before donning my garden gloves.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

XO

Humble Bungalow Garden Roses...

Life is unpredictable and can shock and surprise us...
often throwing us curveballs.

I know that this is true...

All we can do is "fasten our seat belts" and hang on tight for the ride.

So in light of the turbulence that life can bring.

I offer you some beautiful roses...
to add some beauty to your day.

Growing right here in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

I hope you enjoy them.

Joesph's Coat roses

Constance Spry

Iceberg

(I forget the name of this rose)

Graham Thomas

Jude the Obscure

Climbing Royal Sunset

Abraham Darby

Graham Thomas

I am planning to visit a Gulf Island to view a garden and visit a friend.

At my Yoga class the instructor has just returned from a workshop.

She was very excited about her experience and spoke to us about looking for the "juicy" things in life...

The "juicy" being those things that bring us JOY

things that we need to seek out and embrace to "Get Our Happy On.

I am doing just that.

A "full to the brim week" of social events, 

a garden visit

walks 

Yoga

a movie out 

dinner with the girls

birthday shopping for a very special DIL.

Our garden is a riot of roses...

they are shedding their petals in the gusty winds today.

So many petals cover the walkway, the deck and the porch.

I hope that the winds blow them away...

it could save us hours of raking and sweeping

this weekend!

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday and a week of "juicy" good things.

~ Take care as you go about your day ~

and 

~ Please Be Kind ~

The Quarter Deck Cottage on the edge of The Salish Sea

Mr. HB and I recently purchased a quarter share in a cottage on the water.
Pender Island is one of the smaller islands in The Salish Sea. The cost is modest and we do not need to do any maintenance ourselves so when we are able to use it we can sit back, relax and enjoy the place.

Mr. HB knows that I like to beach comb for heart shaped rocks and while we were at the dock waiting for the ferry he found a vendor selling various rocks 

he inquired, if by chance, she had any heart shaped rocks...

and she did so he surprised me with this one.

XO

Roses picked from The Humble Bungalow Garden made the trip to the cottage.

Arranged and popped into an icy modernist vase 

perfectly scenting the cottage and kitchen.

We brought a few things to personalize the cottage when we have our time here.

There is a locker that we will store the items when we are not in residence.

I found this fish sculpture in an antique shop in Victoria. 

It is originally from the Cayman Islands.

This book was really good.

Deck chairs just waiting for us!

Bubbly to celebrate our first day here...

served in our new Emma Bridgewater etched FIZZ flutes.

Umbrella and cushions found at the Hardware store on the Island.

Books to read while relaxing on the deck.

 The binoculars are MUST to get a closer look at the whales and boats passing by...

Sunhat, sunscreen and sunglasses.

The oar I found in a shop on Fort Street on Antique Row.

I painted and distressed it for the cottage.

Here is the view looking across Otter Bay from Roesland Park.

We walked almost 8 km to visit the Pender island museum only to find out that it was closed! 

Besides we needed to stretch our legs and get some exercise after reading so much!

We sat for a wee bit in the red chairs installed by Parks Canada and took in the glorious views.

These Beaver brand chairs have been placed in the Parks across Canada in honour of our 150th anniversary.

Roes Bay

I swam almost everyday in this pool...

and as our week drew to a close I felt that we had made a good choice to invest in the cottage and resort for our future.

We will look forward to having our family and grandchildren stay here at the cottage making memorable memories.

I hope you enjoyed the wee tour of The Quarter Deck Cottage.

Hostess

XO

Rainy daze....at Quarter Deck Cottage

 The Salish Sea from Quarter Deck Cottage.

We see all kinds of boats and to get a closer look we brought our binoculars.

They come in very handy, plus we got to see the passing Orcas up close.

The small islands of North and South Pender have a few amenities.

Grocery store, library, several galleries, marinas, a pub, several restaurants and cafes, a pharmacy, book store, second hand shop and an antique store which has the most amazing artwork!

I found a small French satin glass dish made by the Verlys company.

The pine cones attracted me as soon as I set eyes on it...

It is so pretty that I do not plan to put anything in the dish I will leave it as it is.

The cones provide the "feet" for the dish.

I started this mystery book and am already halfway through it...

we can chalk that up to the wind and rainy weather here today.

It is very cozy and warm here at Quarter Deck Cottage.

We lit the gas fireplace and there is no need to go out and get soaking wet...

Mr. HB and I have waited for a break in the weather to get some fresh air but alas Mother Nature has other ideas!

Stay cozy!

Hostess

XO

OOTD and some things BLUE.

There are more blue garments creeping into my basic black and grey wardrobe.
I seem to be drawn to this colour...
With the grey hair multiplying the blues seem to be a flattering shade.

Stripes and patterned tops.

These will be worn with white UP pants and NYDJ jeans.

I recently discovered UP pants and they are super stretchy and very comfortable.

I found mine in a shop in the Cook Street Village area of Victoria.

OOTD 

Yoga class attire

Mom's cashmere cardigan Jones of NY

white tee Joe Fresh

yoga pants Reflex

shoes Jungla

These are not instruments of torture

they are props for my Yoga practice.

Since joining the Yoga studio I have had far less hip and knee pain.

It is noticeable...and I welcome the relief.

There is an Osteo class several times a week at the studio 

I think it might be my favourite class. 

Having been diagnosed with osteopenia years ago

I know how important it is to be mindful of the risks of breakage.

Building and maintaining bone mass and bone density is a priority.

Walking and weigh bearing exercise can help with bone building...

and now the Yoga moves using the spiky ball and the belt.

Here is an article from Harvard that you might find interesting.

Women with osteo issues are prone to fractures of the ribs and hips 

so by working on igniting the osteoblasts and building bone density we can avoid some of the pitfalls of the condition.

Have you invited some brighter colours into your wardrobe lately?

"For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower 

even from the cliffs of despair. "

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh ~

Thank you for stopping by 

The Humble Bungalow Blog today...

Flea Market Finds...

I've been spending quite a bit of time "fluffing" the house.

Getting rid of extra stuff that clutters up the tiny space

and rearranging a few pieces.

Our bungalow decor is simple which lends itself towards natural items.

 Opting for colours that look pleasant in a woody arts and crafts heritage home...

almost organic.

"A tisket a tasket"

I spy a vintage basket...

and

some old silver.

An old oar

(before)

painted and cleaned up a wee bit 

then slightly distressed

(after)

Something for the cottage.

Old ironstone compote

Enamel ware

A large vintage Tea tin...

Roses in the small silver jug.

I purchased this Imari jug awhile back

I use it for pens and pencils in the kitchen near the phone.

It's fun to peruse home decor magazines for inspiration.

 Our clever daughter reminded me that I could find many lovely home decor things to "pin" off of the boards on Pinterest.

I started one for the cottage and am having fun getting ideas online.

I sit with my tea and before you know it an hour has evaporated!

It's also fun looking through the shelves of a vintage shop...

I like to think of it as an adventure because you never know what you are going to find.

~ Take care as you go about your day 

and 

Please Be Kind ~